DangerIsland

The car I'm purchasing has had the belts, pump, clutch, and headgasket done very recently. It also had the head rebuilt with guides, etc.

Is there any reason not to drive this car back the 800 miles or so that it is from the Bay Area to Seattle? Assuming the car has had minimal miles since the work was done, is there any sort of break in period I should worry about? I'm not planning on getting on it like crazy on the way back up, but if there's any reason not to drive a few big 4-5 hour stretches in the car, I'd love to hear about it.

Either way, driving back make me nervous, since it's in a car I don't really know very well. I'm still deciding between making the trip of having it hauled. I really don't know which way to go. enclosed trailer from San Jose to Seattle is $550, so that's the price I have to weigh it against.

Mike B

I don't think you have anything to worry about...A rebuilt head isn't like seating rings...I say, "Drive it"...Best way to appreciate and get to know your car...

Really, What could possibly go wrong? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

DangerIsland

Mike: Your last comment is the kind of thing I have nightmares about! I'm picturing myself cruising through southern Oregon, 100 miles from anywhere, and all of a sudden the car just dies. I pull over, and a bear F@#$@#! eats my *** before I can call AAA!

Seriously though, if I do make the trip I'll be armed with basic tools, a DME relay, oil, water, and enough beef jerky to feed a small army, just in case.

special tool

...snowshoes, coat, matches, tent, marshmellows...

tt9714

The section of Pacific Coast Highway 1 through Oregon is my favorite area. I was living in Los Angeles a few years ago, and I flew up to Seattle to buy my car. I then proceeded to drive the car 1500 miles down PCH 1 back to LA. It was the most enjoyable 3 days that I spent with the car. (Partially because I didn't know all of the things that really needed to be fixed. ;-) )

The scenery accounted for a large portion of my enjoyment. That section of PCH has some great roads, but they are much safer than the section between San Francisco and LA (near Big Sur) where one slip of the wheel will have you over a cliff!

I say go for the drive. Pack a cell phone and enjoy the trip. You won't regret it.

Dave E

You should re-tension the balance and camshaft belts at 1000 mi., otherwise no other break in with those repairs.

jimbo1111

Give it a shot and let us know if all went well. PS. don't for get the duct tape saved my a$$ plenty of times.

Perry 951

Actually, heads love to be broken in at 1 constant speed. It helps seat the guides.

Bottom ends like various rev ranges.

Set the cruise at one speed for 200 miles at a time. Don't be afraid to goose it out of the rest areas.

DangerIsland

tt9714: I've made the drive about 5 times myself, in various cars. Mustang convertible (fun) camry a few times, couple other boring cars. I looove the trip, it's gorgeous. I'm trying to plan it so most of the driving is during the day, so I can be a little safer and see the sights. The PCH really is the prettiest drive in the west.

I have some friends in various towns along the way, so I might stop those places and make a fun trip of it.

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement, I think I'm going to try to make the drive. I'll pack the camera and get lots of pictures.

oi-punx

Danger,

You are making the right choice by driving the car back. I bought my 951 sight unseen and made it out of a Carlsbad suburb about 7pm on a Saturday night for the trip up to San Jose. Even though I hit heavy traffic through L.A. and even though it was dark, boring and lonely on I5 I still had a blast. The trip seemed very short. Without a doubt it was the most enjoyable time i've spent in my car. If I could do it over again I would stay the night in a hotel and take the coastal route back home, stopping for pics on the way back.

I'd still love to see your new car while you are in the area. Send me an email before you leave if you are interested. Tsukamaki@hotmail.com

deni durrell

yeah danger, let us know. we'd love to see your car... weather sucks right now, but maybe not when you get here.

rhesus

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by tt9714:
[QB]That section of PCH has some great roads, but they are much safer than the section between San Francisco and LA (near Big Sur) where one slip of the wheel will have you over a cliff!QB]</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Hot damn I did that in the middle of the night in the pouring rain in my RX-7 <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

NerfRacing

ive heard that when doing head work, you should run little to no boost for 1000 miles or so, or risk searing a ring or blowing the head gasket, any truth to this rumor?

Perry 951

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">ive heard that when doing head work, you should run little to no boost for 1000 miles...</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">I disagee. As I said above, heads like to be run in at 1 speed for a few hundred miles, so some highway miles at a set speed is best. You should not run the hell out of it right away, but no need to cut the boost.

On a new bottom end, little or no boost for 1500 miles. I will run 5psi on my break in, a little boost helps seat the rings.

dmoffitt

half of the fun of these cars is the "so, what next" feeling

j/k - good luck on the drive and enjoy!! i'm sure you'll be fine